This invention relates to seal constructions, and more particularly, to seal constructions adapted for use in vehicles or the like.
Prior art of possible relevance includes the following U.S. Letters Patents Nos.: Dean 2,169,792 issued Aug. 15, 1939; Landis 3,562,957 issued Feb. 16, 1971; and Kessler 3,685,206 issued Aug. 22, 1972.
In vehicles, such as tractors or the like, the cabs and the fire walls including the dash are frequently independently mounted on the frame. Since the dash must extend into the cab, and because of the independent mounting of the components, frequently relative movement between the two occur. Moreover, tolerances employed in such constructions are not so demanding that a tight fit can be assured in every instance. Consequently, resilient seals are employed at the interface of the cab and the fire wall for the purpose of accommodating limited relative movement between such components as well as to close the opening between the components to preclude the entry into the operator area of the cab of noise, foreign material, or the like.
Heretofore the prior art has generally resorted to use of metallic strips or the like sandwiching part of a resilient strip against either the cab or the fire wall with the resilient strip extending past the metallic strip to engage the other of the cab and the fire wall and establish the seal. Screws or the like have been employed for holding the metallic strip in place, thereby requiring aligned openings in the metallic strip and either the cab or the fire wall, depending upon which the metallic strip is secured to. The requirement that such openings be aligned is a difficult one to meet in mass production and considerable time and monies are expended to do so.
As a consequence, prior art has resorted to the use of bonding agents as, for example, cements, for cementing the resilient strip to one of the elements. However, this approach has not been altogether satisfactory for the reason that the bonding agents are often rejected due to the chemical contents of the components and even due to the ventilation of the work area in which the bonding is to take place. The condition of the mating surfaces also becomes critical inasmuch as oil, dirt, rust, paint, etc., must be removed from the surfaces before a reliable bond can be obtained. Even when a good bond is obtained in the factory, operation of the vehicle under extremely adverse ambient temperature conditions can cause failure of the bond.